The Kids are All Right
by mythbard1
Summary: 17 year-old Henry wants to go to a music festival. Emma and Regina are reluctant. Just a glimpse into Emma and Regina co-parenting.


I do not own Once Upon A Time or its characters

Paring: Regina Mills/Emma Swan

Minor Spoilers for s2. If you squint.

Family Fluff.

Summary: 17-year-old Henry wants to go to a music festival. Emma and Regina are reluctant.

**The Kids are All Right**

Henry pushed his chair back from the dinner table and enthusiastically gathered the empty plates from his mothers and his younger sister. Emma and Regina exchanged a quick glance and Emma shrugged.

"Can we go catch fireflies?" asked Corinne, Henry's five-year old sister.

Regina wiped the marinara sauce from their daughter's cheek and replied lightly, "It's too late tonight. You need to take a bath and get some rest."

A pout formed across the little girl's face, making her look just like her blonde mother. "I'm not sleepy, Momma!" She twisted in her chair and her dark gaze followed her teenaged brother to the kitchen. "Henry could take me and you and Ma could go to bed."

"Nice try, kiddo," Emma smirked as she scooped Corinne into her arms. "Go upstairs and pick out your p.j.s. Mom and I will be up in a minute to start your bath and put you to bed."

Corinne rolled her eyes and Emma swatted her lightly on the backside. "Go Princess."

Henry popped back into the dining room with a grin on his face. "So you guys, dinner was great!"

Regina let out a sigh. "Thank you, dear." She narrowed her gaze on him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Something on your mind?"

Henry shrugged and ran a hand through his somewhat unruly brown hair, causing it to stick up in the front. Regina wished he'd cut it, but Emma insisted that he be allowed to express himself. "Do you two have a minute to talk?"

Emma came to stand behind regina's chair and placed her hands on the other woman's shoulders. "Everything okay, kid?"

"Yeah, I was just wondering," he fidgeted a little and glanced down at the table. "Well, some of my friends have tickets to E.F.M.F. and I was wondering if I could go with them."

Regina's face fell into a frown. "E.F.M.F?"

Emma frowned and answered at the same time as their son, "Enchanted Forest Music Fest."

Regina gaped. "You mean that weekend long, hippie-infested music festival on Mr. Little's farm that I have tried to shut down for the past three years?"

Henry tried not to roll his eyes. "Mom it's not exactly like that - and didn't you approve it to begin with?"

"To generate revenue for Storybrooke when the outsiders started coming in," Regina muttered. It had been a success and now the yearly music festival had grown exceptionally. "I hadn't intended on starting Storybrooke's own Woodstock."

Henry sunk down in his seat a little and said, "Neal said he'd go with us."

A choking sound came unbidden from Emma and she dug her fingers into Regina's shoulders. Regina let out a slow breath and covered Emma's hands with her own. "Henry, your mother and I need time to discuss this."

Henry sighed dramatically, "But you'll actually think about it, right?"

The Mayor and the Sheriff exchanged a look as their daughter called from the top of the stairs. "We will so don't get all bummed out right away."

He started to grin and Regina added quickly, "Don't get too excited either."

The teenager nodded and shuffled back into the kitchen, putting his headphones on as he went. "I promise I won't get whisked away to Neverland _again_."

He missed the sickened expression on his parents as he turned his back. Emma blew out a breath and pulled Regina's chair out for her. "Am I on bath duty tonight?"

Regina kissed Emma on the forehead. "Yes. I'll go turn down her bed and pick out a bedtime story. Will you two _try_ to keep the bath water in the tub tonight?"

Emma laughed, "The Princess has a fascination with making whirlpools to sink her pirate ships!"

"Mmmhmm," Regina purred as she swayed upstairs. "And who taught her that?"

Emma shook her head with a warm smile as she followed behind Regina to gather their daughter for her bath.

"So," Emma said softly as she joined regina in their bed. "About this concert?"

The brunette closed the book she had been reading and settled against the other woman's side. "I'm not very fond of the idea, Em."

"Nether am I," she wrapped her arm around Regina's shoulders and tried to gather her thoughts.

"I'm not sure that sort of venue is appropriate for a seventeen year old," Regina stated firmly. "If it were just a concert here in town and now a weekend campout, maybe."

"I agree," Emma shook her head, conflicted. "But he's a good kid. He has a job, gets good grades, and stays out of trouble. It's not that I don't trust him."

"It's the atmosphere."

"Yeah. I've been to concerts like that. In my _twenties_. I had a blast, but I also got totally wasted." She felt Regina's chuckle, more that she heard it, and went on, "And for this event, I always have extra deputies on patrol."

Regina nodded. "Your reports indicated a mild drug increase in recent years and the alcohol related incidences were more frequent as well."

"Yeah but nothing major. Just some pot and mushrooms were seized."

"You didn't make any arrests."

Emma shrugged. "People get stoned at music fests."

Regina rolled her eyes. And I assume you don't want Henry to attend the concert with Neal because you came home livid last time he was in town because you caught him smoking a joint behind The Rabbit Hole."

"Um, yeah," Emma pinched the bridge of her nose. "Here's the thing, I think Neal would behave himself if he was with the kid. I really do."

"But?"

"But in a setting like that, he might be tempted to relive his glory days."

Regina pursed her lips. "What about your father?"

Emma scoffed. "_If_ we let him go, I'd like him to at least have fun!"

Regina laughed and shook her head. "You're right. We can't go with him. You have to train the new recruits on Saturday and Corinne's soccer game is Sunday afternoon."

"Yeah, plus I think Henry'd be horrified if his moms chaperoned him."

Regina pretended to be shocked. "I was under the impression that we were hip moms!"

Emma let out a burst of laughter and kissed her wife on the cheek. "_Hip?_ You're more of a dork than you think, Regina!"

"_Me_?" Regina shrieked. "Don't even get me started on your dork credit, dear. _Such_ a peasant!"

"Whatever, you love me anyway!" Emma laughed lightly. "Plus, I'm pretty sure Corinne still thinks we're cool moms."

"Indeed," Regina muttered, eyes narrowed with an affectionate smile. "So what conclusion have we come up with for our son?"

Emma let out a long sigh and leaned back into the pillows, pulling Regina with her. "As much as I hate to - as worried as we'll both be, I think maybe we should let him go."

Regina hugged the blonde tightly. "After what happened in Neverland, I hate the idea of letting our children too far out of sight."

"Me too - but, shit, Henry will be off to college next year, and-"

"I know," regina said faintly. "I know. So we'll have a talk with Neal about chaperoning the trip."

"In which you'll threaten to turn him into a toad if anything bad happens while I back you up by looking badass with my badge and gun?"

Regina smirked. "Something like that, dear. Send ruby to patrol the concert and have her keep an eye out."

"Good idea."

"As for Henry, if we discover that he's done anything that he's prohibited to do..."

"We take his car for the rest of the summer."

"Very well." Regina turned off the bedside lamp and draped herself across her wife. "He'll be okay, right?"

"Yeah, he will," Emma assured in a whisper. "And so will we, love."

"Mmm," Regina kissed her softly. "I love you, Swan."

"Love you back, Queen."

The next day, they awoke to the aroma of coffee and breakfast. When they entered the kitchen, Corinne was helping her brother set the table. She spotted her parents in the doorway and beamed. "Surprise!"

"Wow Princess! Did you do all this?"

Their daughter giggled, then gave a serious look. "I can't cook, ma! Henry did!"

He trudged over and gave his mothers each a kiss on the cheek. "Good morning!"

They hugged their children and took their seats at the table, both wearing amused smiles. "Wow kid, you really wanna got to this show, huh?"

"Em," Regina chided. "Thank you for making breakfast, Henry, and thank you for helping your brother, Cor."

"You're welcome," Henry took a seat and the family enjoyed breakfast together. Henry bounced nervously in his seat, trying to read his mothers while Regina and Emma secretly enjoyed making him wait.

"So did you two talk last night?"

Regina took a long sip of coffee."We did."

"And?"

"And," Regina answered slowly. "Your mother and I have decided to let you attend the music festival -"

"_Yes!_"

"But," Emma cut in as Henry jumped from his chair. "Neal will be going with you kids and you _personally_ need to check in with one or both of us each day."

"Okay sure!"

"Ruby will be patrolling the event. You have her number," regina added firmly. "If, for any reason, you become separated from Neal or your friends, you call her immediately. If any crisis or unsavory events occur, you call her and you call us."

Henry beamed. "You got it!"

"And," Emma added, all seriousness in her tone and posture. "You know Mom and I have eyes and ears everywhere. If we find out that you've participated any unfortunate behavior-"

"Mom _really_?" Henry frowned deeply. "I'd never do anything that stupid."

"Says the kid who took a Greyhound to Boston alone when he was ten," Emma muttered.

Henry smirked and glanced between his parents. "And aren't you glad I did?"

"_So_ not the point!"

Regina tried to hide a smirk of her own. "Henry, if you do anything ill-advised, no car for the summer."

The boy nodded and bear hugged his mothers. "No worries you guys! I'll even keep Dad in line."

"You'd better."

"You're the coolest Moms ever! Thank you!"

"Hey!" Corinne pouted and Henry ruffled her light brown hair. "And you're the coolest sister ever!"

The kids cleared out of the kitchen to get the tent out of the shed out back and their mothers watched through the window. Emma sighed and gave Regina a crooked smile. "We've got good kids, Regina. Thank goodness Henry's not like me when I was his age."

Regina gazed at Emma's profile for a moment before pulling her into a hug. "The important thing is who we are now and that we're giving our children a good life."

That brought a smile to the blonde's face. "A better life than we had, for sure." She bumped Regina's shoulder playfully and said in a low voice, "Maybe we can get Mary Margaret and David to watch Corinne on Saturday night. I kinda like the idea of having you all to myself Madame Mayor."

Regina gazed at her, heat rising through her body. "That sounds delightful, Sheriff."

In that moment the idea of having the house to themselves seemed much less frightening and the both knew that the had each other for comfort when worry over their children inevitably set in. As they watched Henry and Corinne outside, they knew that the kids would be all right.

End


End file.
